Uses of Llamas

Llamas have historically been used as a food, fiber, and pack animal.
Those uses continue today with the additional and newly recognized use as a
guard animal for other species.

MEAT

Llamas have been used for centuries as a meat animal in South America, particularly
in the Andean regions. The Quechuas ate the meat both fresh and dried. The dried meat
called "charquii" is the original form of what is referred to today as "jerky". The meat
is lean, low fat, and nutrient dense. (See analysis.) Its taste is similar to the taste
of grass fat beef and quite palatable.

The llama's ability to efficiently utilize the low grade, sparse forage common to
semi-arid lands establishes its validity as a meat animal. Other domestic species cannot
efficiently utilize the forage because they require higher quality and quantity of forage
or they are subject to predation requiring cost-prohibitive management and protection.
Because these lands are in their natural state and free of commercial pesticides and
fertilizers the meat produced from them is all natural and organic. The low-fat analysis
makes llama meat a healthy red meat source that maintains the consumer's cholesterol at
healthy levels while providing high quality protein. The llama's browsing pattern on a
variety of plants vs close-grazing of grass minimizes impact on the plant populations and
spreads impact evenly among all the plant species. This low impact imparts a sustainability
that assures continuity of production as well as the preservation of the resource. No
supplemental feeding with concentrates or hay is necessary to grow a llama to a harvestable size.

WILDERNESS PACKING

The llama has been selectively bred as a high altitude pack animal for centuries. It
has been found to be unparalled in this capacity, particularly here in the U.S. where its
low environmental impact
makes it the
pack animal of choice.

GUARD ANIMAL

The llama's territorial nature, protective instincts, and self-sufficiency combine to
make it an effective guard animal for domestic ungulate species that are subject to predation.
Llamas offer advantages over guard dogs currently in use because they forage with the flock/herd
they are protecting and don't take extra management and maintenance. They are a 24 hour presence
and don't have the potential of turning predator against the population they guard. The most common
species employing the guard llama concept is sheep. Goats, cattle, and alpacas are other species
the llama has effectively protected against predation.

Not all llamas are effective guards. An Iowa State University study found 83% of guard
llamas to be effective. The best success has been achieved with solitary, gelded males with
average or higher territoriality. The solitary male will adopt the subject flock/herd to be
protected and take over the territory they occupy. The llama will not only attack predators
invading the territory, but will actually move the flock/herd to the most defensible position
available. Llamas are most effective against canid (domestic and wild) predators. Bold
confrontation, coupled with intimidating size, discourages most predators, but the llama
will aggressively strike an undeterred predator with front feet giving added effectiveness.
Predators such as mountain lions may not be easily intimidated and are better equipped to
win a physical confrontation. This can cause a llama to flee the mismatch or possibly succumb
to the predator in a physical confrontation.